Brandon McCarthy is showing signs of improvement two days after undergoing surgery to relieve pressure on his brain from being struck by a line drive during a start against the Angels on Wednesday, but Athletics trainer Nick Paparesta said tonight that he’s still in a “life-threatening” situation.

“Absolutely he is. It’s brain surgery,” Paparesta said. “It’s life-threatening. At any possible moment something could go wrong, he could have a complication. Absolutely.”

McCarthy got out of bed three times today, sat up in his bed and in a chair, ate solid foods and recognized visitors. While he is able to talk, he is in too much pain to do so. Things are looking up, but Paparesta was told by doctors and the medical team that the second and third days after surgery are the most critical.

“We’re coming up on day three (Saturday), so by the evening time there’s still the possibility of reoccurring or increase of swelling back again,” Paparesta said. “If that happens, they can do different measures or techniques to keep that down. He’s not out of the woods but he showing great progress.”

Erick Aybar hit the ball which struck McCarthy on Wednesday afternoon. He was naturally quite shaken by his involvement in the unfortunate incident and issued a statement before tonight’s game.

“It has been a tough last two days for me as I keep replaying in my head when the ball struck Brandon. I am encouraged and thankful to know he has made significant progress, and I keep praying to God to help him recover quickly and fully. I also pray for him and his wife. Our game is a tight brotherhood, and right now we all wear the same uniform colors.”

Angels broadcaster Jose Mota reports that Aybar left a voicemail for McCarthy after Wednesday’s game and hopes to talk to him soon.

Best of luck to Brandon in his recovery (and my thoughts go out to his wife, family, and friends)- he’s one of the good guys in the game and I can’t even imagine going through such a scary situation. Hopefully he will get back to full health and be able to go on with his life.

Poor kid. I really hope Brandon pulls through this without any residual effects. That he can talk, walk, and is able to recognize people is an excellent sign, but they’re 100% correct. Day 3 is critical.

Classy move by Erick Aybar and thanks for reporting it. I was wondering how he was doing too. This has to be emotionally traumatic for him.